Top 10 VFX Scenes of 2010

In 2009, District 9 proved that visual effects (VFX) could be stunning and deceptive, despite what passed for a shoestring budget in Hollywood. This year, another side of that same lesson emerged, in the unnerving digital doppelgängers that populated two of the most expensive movies of the year, Prince of Persia and Tron. The glimpses of Jake Gyllenhal's time-shifted, computer-generated clone were bad, but most of Jeff Bridges's reverse-aged death-rictus smiles were in extreme closeup…and in 3D. Money can fuel world-class VFX, but cash alone can't buy suspension of disbelief. That doesn't mean our choices for the best VFX scenes of the year are an arthouse primer on substituting green screens for skylines or sticking Natalie Portman's head on a ballerina's body. VFX and big, brainless movies go together like peanut butter and light cycles.

10. Predators: The Bad Guys

10. Predators: The Bad Guys

In the weeks leading up to the release of Predators, much of the hype centered on the alien hunters' updated gear, their packs of dogs, and their use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The dogs wound up being standard CG beasts—too fast, too fluid, and weightless until they were killed and replaced with a physical prop. But that UAV, which only takes centerstage in a single extended shot, is a monstrosity in miniature, a headless falcon powered by a tiny jet engine. In that same swooping shot, which begins with the UAV's heat-vision perspective, then pulls behind the drone as it banks into the jungle, we come face-to-face with a trio of new Predators. The updated semi-transparency of their cloaking fields and the shimmer when they shut down are impressive, particularly in near closeup. The seamless stitching together of real and full-CG environments and objects, all in motion while the camera climbs and veers like the bio-inspired bot it's chasing—the kind of movement that can make VFX wobble and stand out—is a scene-setting gamble that pays off.

10. Predators: The Bad Guys

10. Predators: The Bad Guys

In the weeks leading up to the release of Predators, much of the hype centered on the alien hunters' updated gear, their packs of dogs, and their use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The dogs wound up being standard CG beasts—too fast, too fluid, and weightless until they were killed and replaced with a physical prop. But that UAV, which only takes centerstage in a single extended shot, is a monstrosity in miniature, a headless falcon powered by a tiny jet engine. In that same swooping shot, which begins with the UAV's heat-vision perspective, then pulls behind the drone as it banks into the jungle, we come face-to-face with a trio of new Predators. The updated semi-transparency of their cloaking fields and the shimmer when they shut down are impressive, particularly in near closeup. The seamless stitching together of real and full-CG environments and objects, all in motion while the camera climbs and veers like the bio-inspired bot it's chasing—the kind of movement that can make VFX wobble and stand out—is a scene-setting gamble that pays off.